


Three Words

by ClockworkDragon



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff, M/M, ZoSan - Freeform, canon-verse, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3216413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDragon/pseuds/ClockworkDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Valentine's day and everyone is in on it except for Sanji.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Written for the zosansecretvalentine exchange on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Words

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for snippadeus on tumblr and was written for the zosan secret valentine exchange. Hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> Warning: This turned out way more fluffy than intended.  
> 

“Ehhh? Valentine’s Day?”

Sanji paused in his work to fully turn and face the beautiful Nami-swan. She had wandered into the kitchen for a drink and the two of them had started chatting. Coincidently-or probably not, knowing Nami- the conversation had quickly changed to focus on Sanji’s love life.

“You asked Zoro to celebrate it with you?” She prodded. “What did he say?”

“He’s never heard of it, which doesn’t surprise me. I would have forgotten it myself, if not for the festival posters on this island.” The Sunny had docked at a small summer island that morning. The log pose needed two days to set, meaning they would be here for the Valentine’s Festival. “He basically said it was stupid though.”

Sanji shrugged. He wasn’t upset about it, not really, but Nami saw through his false nonchalance. Slapping her palms on the table, she stood up and made for the door.

“That moron has a 25% debt increase until he takes you out on a decent date!” She fumed.

Sanji was delighted that his precious angel cared about his feelings-cigarette smoke turning heart shaped- but he knew beforehand that Zoro was by no means a romantic.

“Please don’t concern yourself Nami-swan. You and I both know dates aren’t his thing. And I’m fine with it. We aren’t that kind of couple.”

She gave him a doubtful look, but thankfully settled down.

“I just wish he would do more things for you, Sanji-kun. You deserve to be pampered now and then. Everyone does.” She left then, leaving the blonde to chew at his cigarette as he mulled over her words.

 

 

Dinner that night was the same as always; unnecessarily loud, messy and delicious. Neither Zoro nor Nami brought up their earlier conversations with the cook.

Sanji studied Zoro discretly as he ate. He adored Nami-swan to the moon, but she was wrong about how the swordsman treated him. There were subtle things Zoro did on a daily basis that spoke volumes about his feelings for the cook. He lights Sanji a new cigarette if it burns out as he washes dishes and he asks if any of his kitchen knives need oiling before he oils his swords. He kisses each of Sanji’s fingers after they have sex and offers to wash that one spot on his back he can never quite reach.

Zoro cares in his own way.

As the crew left the galley, Sanji was too preoccupied with cleaning up and simultaneously dodging a clingy captain to notice a certain swordsman grab Nami and whisper urgently in her ear. He also missed the evil smile that spread across her face as she followed him out on deck.

 

It seemed as though the entire island was determined to remind him that today was, in fact, Valentine’s Day. It hadn’t been so bad that morning, when all his nakama were gathered on the Sunny. Only a few of them knew about the holiday, so no one mentioned it to him. Sanji was content to keep it that way.

Of course, his damn rubber of a captain wanted ‘adventure’ because staying on the ship was ‘boring.’ Thus, the cook found himself wandering the cobblestone streets of the town, trying to avoid advertisements for chocolate and flowers that only served to remind him that he would get none. Not that he wanted any. Because he didn’t. Honestly.

Trying to avoid the signs of the season, Sanji fled to the one place he found most comfort-the market. He was delighted to find that nothing distracting was in sight and so, he let himself peruse the various vendors. After a half an hour, he had bought a healthy amount of food, all within budget of course. He was about to head back to the ship to drop of his purchases when he heard his name being shouted. Sanji turned to find Nami, Robin and Franky walking towards him.

“Sanji-kun!” Nami greeted. Noticing the groceries, she pouted at him. “Why are you doing errands right now? You should be enjoying the island!”

“I was planning on having a look around after lunch, Nami-swan!” He lied smoothly. In truth, the cook was weary of the island and just wanted to return to the ship and maybe cook a special lunch for the marimo, who had stayed behind to (sleep) guard it.

“Is that so, cook-san? I believe it would be difficult carrying those heavy bags all day.” Robin’s piercing gaze studied him carefully.

“I was simply going to return these to the ship before exploring.” He amended.

Nami stiffened beside him.

“Ne, Sanji-kun, how about you give Robin and Franky your bags and they take them back to the ship for you?” She suggested smoothly. The cook frowned in confusion. Why couldn’t he take the bags himself?

“Cook-san, Franky and I are returning to the ship now anyway. He has a project he needs to work on right away. Let us take the groceries so you can save the trip and enjoy more of your day.” Robin’s voice was light but somehow Sanji got the impression that it was not actually up for debate.

Before he knew it, hands sprouted from his arms and passed the bags over to the cyborg. There was no arguing with their archeologist.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Leave it to us, bro!” Franky gave him a thumbs-up and the two of them disappeared into the crowd.

That was…odd. Well, odder than usual.

Nami tugged at his sleeve, annoyed that he had just been staring off into space, and started pulling him off down the street. When he asked her where they were going, she smirked.

“We’re going shopping!”

Images of the beautiful ginger trying on clothes and modeling jewellery filled his mind. Hand covering his nose, Sanji supposed there was still hope for the day after all.

 

 

After Nami finished shopping, the two Strawhats made their way over to a corner bar where she supposedly told Usopp to meet them. The sniper was already there and was tinkering with some sauces to create god knows what. When he saw them he waved them over excitedly.

“You guys will never believe what I just accomplished.” He began. Sanji and Nami rolled their eyes in unison. “I, the Great Captain Usopp, have developed the perfect super-hot-burn-your-enemy’s-skin-off-so-you-can-run-away bomb!”

He held up a red brown pellet for them to see. Sanji blinked, then turned away to order some food.

“Hey!”

“No offence Usopp, but your ‘bombs’ are faulty more often than not so let’s just put it away for now before it explodes or something.” Nami voiced what Sanji had been thinking.

“It’s perfect this time, I swear. It’s guaranteed to burn your tongue so much you won’t be able to even move!”

Usopp was dutifully ignored as plates of food were brought to their table. Sanji ate immediately, shopping with Nami was wonderful, but she tired him out running from store to store and not buying a fraction of the things she tries on. He was just starting to relax when there was a startled and then pained cry from across the room.

The blonde looked up. The situation was easy enough to read; Usopp stood with his slingshot out and staring in mute horror as a man-a very _large_ man- tried to put out the fire in his mouth with a pitcher of water. The sniper paled considerably when the man’s friends spotted him. Sanji was not in the mood to get involved. Usopp had fucked up, he could deal.

The room erupted into a brawl. Usopp was running wild, miraculously avoiding punches and the odd fork thrown his way. Nami had wisely retreated to the back of the room where no one was paying any attention to. Sanji continued to eat his stew and tried to think happy thoughts.

That is, until a brute with a greasy-ass beard slammed his fist into his bowl, splashing its delicious content onto the floor. In a second the man was sent flying across the room and crashing into the far wall.

Fuck it.

Sanji kicked at everyone that came at him. He made quick work of men twice his size and the fight was over in minutes. Once the last man fell, he kicked Usopp for good measure. His food had been wasted, his shirt had gotten soaked with alcohol and now he was even more done with this town.

Of course, his idiot captain wouldn’t let him catch a break.

Luffy had heard the telltale signs of a scuffle and had ran to join in, only to find Sanji had taken all the fun. As punishment, he was forced to accompany his captain into the forest. Nami refused to go with them, instead choosing to stay with Usopp to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. Again.

As Captain and Cook hiked through the thick underbrush of the forest, Sanji had to put up with Luffy’s random singing and even more random sense of direction. They wandered around for an hour before Luffy finally cracked. Sanji was kind of impressed.

“Haaaa, I’m so bored! Sanji make something fun happen!” he complained.

“I can’t do anything about it you damn rubber. If you’re bored then we can go back.”

“But it isn’t time to leave yet!”

Before Sanji had a chance to ask the captain what he meant, Luffy wrapped both hands around a tree and ran backwards. The blonde had only a moment to brace himself before the boy released his hold and snapped his body towards him. The two of them were sent flying over the trees and over a cliff. Luffy laughed loudly while Sanji paled. Below the cliff was not, in fact, more forest, but the wide blue waters of the ocean.

“Whoops.” Luffy did not sound sorry at all.

They hit the water with a giant splash. Acting fast, Sanji grabbed his useless captain’s arm and swam quickly to the surface. He hauled the coughing boy onto the beach and collapsed beside him. He stared up at the clouds and wondered why he had even bothered to leave the ship that morning. The day had gone from bad to worse and now he was cold, annoyed and miles from the Sunny. Even worse, he was stuck with babysitting his no good, reckless, idiotic captain.

Sanji, finished with the day’s shit, got up, brushed sand from his ass and proceeded to storm off back the way they came. Luffy scrambled to follow him, wisely choosing to stay several paces behind him.

 

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the edge of the forest. The sun had dried his clothes during the long walk back, but now they were stiff with dried salt and rubbed against his skin in an unpleasant way.

“Sanji, you know Zoro loves you right?”

The blonde, startled by the question, studied his captain’s face. Luffy stared back with total seriousness. Sanji wondered where the sudden topic had come from, but he knew Luffy wouldn’t let him leave the question unanswered.

“Ya, I know.” he whispered. Luffy’s seriousness was replaced by easy glee and he smiled widely.

“Then everything is ok!” His words would have given Sanji comfort if it weren’t for the slap on his back that came with them. It had a little too much force, causing the blonde to stumble forward.

His foot stretched out to balance himself, except there was no ground beneath it. The next instant, Sanji found himself at the bottom of a man made hole, coughing dirt from his lungs. Out of the entire fucking forest, Sanji had to be standing beside an animal trap. Luffy was shouting his name and he looked up to see the boy some twelve feet above him. It would have been an easy climb if not for the smooth metal walls that offered no handholds.

“Don’t worry Sanji! I’ll find something to pull you out with!”

“You are made of shitty rubber you stupid noodle! Your arms can stretch!” But Luffy had already run off, missing the cook’s words.

Sanji was left alone. He laughed bitterly at his situation and violently lashed out at the wall. He was surprised to find that the metal was fairly thin and could be sufficiently dented. That gave him an idea. A few well-placed kicks later, Sanji had created a deep dent about four feet up the wall. He used the bent metal as a foothold and cleverly jumped and pushed off it to fling his body up to the mouth of the hole where he managed to grip its edge.

Pleased with his accomplishment, Sanji gave a short laugh before lifting himself out of the hole. He did not wait for Luffy to come back, the idiot could run around the forest all he liked. Instead Sanji headed back towards the port to finally, _finally_ go home.

 

 

Nami watched Sanji as he pulled himself out of the hole and brushed himself off. She, along with Chopper, was hiding in the bushes nearby. She made sure the blonde was headed in the direction of the Sunny before heaving a sigh of relief.

“It still isn’t sunset yet.” Chopper piped up. She nodded in agreement.

“Its fine, I think we put him through enough today.”

“I hope he likes his surprise.” Chopper mused. Nami thought back to the previous evening, when Zoro pulled her aside to tell her his plan. He had asked for her help, for the crew’s help. Each and every one of them had played their parts. The rest was up to Zoro.

“Let’s go meet up with the others.” The two Strawhats made their way out of the forest and towards the restaurant where the rest of the crew was waiting. Smiling softly, she was glad for what had happened today. Hopefully their efforts would make something bloom between her friends tonight.

 

 

It was nearly sunset by the time Sanji dragged his ass back to the Sunny. The ship was docked peacefully in the glittering water, a stark contrast to the shitload of mayhem he had had to endure all day. He was cranky, hadn’t had a cigarette in three hours and wanted nothing more than to curl up in his cot and wait for this day to end. However, he still wanted to spend time with the marimo, who he hadn’t seen all day. As he boarded the ship he tiredly tried to think of a special meal to cook. Despite all he had been through he _would_ make the perfect meal for Zoro, even if his energy was drained.

The thought of cooking made him focus and he walked with renewed determination towards the kitchen. That is when he noticed that something was terribly wrong. The galley lights were on, there was smoke rising from the vents and he could hear the distinct clatter made only by stainless steel pots. Someone was in the kitchen. Someone was _cooking_ in _his_ kitchen.

The first thought that ran through his head was to beat the living crap out of the intruder. His second thought stopped him from acting on the first because the person in the kitchen could have been Nami-swan or Robin-chan. He would never hold his ladies responsible for any damage they may cause in his kitchen!

So the chef neither raged nor swooned as he approached his kitchen. Instead he walked quietly up the steps and for a moment was reminded of his childhood when he would sneak glances into the kitchen as Zeff worked. Shaking off the unexpected nostalgia, the blonde gripped the door handle lightly. Sanji was not sure what to expect when he opened the door to the galley, but it sure as hell was not what he saw.

Several things hit him at once; the smell of baking bread, the rhythmic chopping of his knife on his board and stranger still, a certain green moss standing in the middle of it all. Roronoa Zoro- feared swordsman of the santoryu style, the Demon with a bounty of 120 million belli and the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world- was currently wearing Sanji’s pink apron. He was hunched over the cutting board completely engrossed in his task, which was probably why he did not notice the blonde’s arrival.

Instead of interrupting, Sanji stood silently, observing the careful marimo with curiosity and awe. He watched as Zoro scraped the chopped garlic into a bowl then carefully mixed its contents with a spoon. For some reason Sanji could not muster up one ounce of anger towards his lover. Zoro decided to use his kitchen and supplies without his permission-the equivalent of which was Sanji swinging one of the muscle-head’s swords around- and yet there was no ill will towards him. In fact, the longer he watched his lover work, the happier he felt. All pent up tension seemed to ease out of him and the stress from the day was replaced with comfort and contentment.

Zoro could do that to him. Even when they fought with each other, the man made him feel so relaxed. Everything about him seemed to naturally compliment the spitfire cook. Sanji had never felt like that with anyone before.

Although watching Zoro had its perks, like when he bent down to check the bread in the oven, Sanji wanted to know _why_ he was cooking. He decided to make his presence known.

“You look good in pink, Marimo.”

Zoro whipped around so fast Sanji felt like he got whiplash by just watching.

“Cook!” Zoro’s face was a mixture of surprise, embarrassment and panic. Sanji took the time to light a cigarette while the other man worked to compose himself.

“What are you doing here?” he managed.

“That’s what I should be asking you. Why are you in my kitchen?”

“I’m…making you dinner.” He said cautiously. Sanji realized that Zoro was nervous because he knew the cook was protective of his tools and food. He smiled softly.

“I can see that mosshead, but I want to know _why_.”

Realizing he wasn’t mad at the intrusion, Zoro gained back his confidence and smiled smugly.

“For Valentine’s day of course.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Sanji as if it were the most obvious conclusion. Sanji did not agree. Zoro had made it perfectly clear yesterday that he wanted no part in the love holiday and the ‘stupid romantic gestures’ it entailed.

“You said you hated the idea of romance! Me coming back to find you cooking a meal for me constitutes as romantic!”

“I lied.” The bastard didn’t even sound sorry. “Cook, I knew from the moment you spouted bullshit ‘Prince’ fantasies that you were a hopeless romantic.”

Sanji blushed indignantly.

“Likewise, you probably noticed that I’m not the best with, uh, doing the sappy shit that comes with relationships.” It was the swordsman’s turn to blush. “So when you told me about this holiday, and I saw how happy the very idea made you, I wanted to try it. If you looked so happy just thinking about that stuff, I wondered what you’d look like if you experienced it. I knew if I said I’d try it, that you would go out of your way to make today perfect. But I didn’t want it to be you. I lied because I wanted to be the one to make you feel the magic you fantasize about. I wanted to be the one to surprise _you_.”

Somehow the two of them had unconsciously gravitated towards each other during Zoro’s explanation, so that they were only feet apart. Sanji’s heart was melting with every word the man spoke and he was sure his face was beet red. He stared at the ground, too emotionally overwhelmed to even look Zoro in the eye. Zoro was having none of it and placed a gentle hand under the blonde’s chin, raising his head to look him in the eye. Sanji’s vision was filled with the golden brown colour of Zoro’s eyes. They stared at him, stripped him to his very soul with their unyielding passion and calm honesty.

“I wanted to be the one to say ‘I love you.’”

They moved together, always in sync, and their lips met. Zoro’s hand was at the back of his neck, angling his head and holding him firmly. It was a gesture neither protective nor possessive. It was not a demand, but a request. That one simple gesture, seeming to say ‘stay with me’, disarmed Sanji in an instant.

 All the stress, rejection and uncertainty of the last two days vanished, and he melted into the kiss. Zoro relaxed as well, content that the cook had accepted his subtle invitation. Neither man led the kiss, neither took control. Lips parted at the same time, tongues intertwining slowly, without force, without haste. Sanji wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck the same moment Zoro reached for his waist. They stood there, not connected by frantic lust or tender comfort. They were united by the small fact that they were in love.

The kiss was making Sanji lightheaded. The way Zoro was touching him, breathing him in, went beyond normal passion. Sanji didn’t know a word to describe how he felt in those few perfect moments. He frankly couldn’t give a shit either.

The kiss ended but neither man moved. They remained forehead to forehead; Sanji rubbing his thumb through Zoro’s earrings, watching his peaceful expression.

“You smell like dirt and sweat-mixed liquor.”

Of course the marimo would find a way to ruin the mood. Zoro straightened and gave Sanji a once over.

“Why the hell does it look like you got in a bar fight then got tossed off a cliff?” he asked incredulously. Sanji couldn’t even find it in himself to get pissed at Zoro for cutting the cuddle session short; after all, he had all night to be with the stupidly adorable moss.

“Because your question pretty much sums up my day, though you forgot the part where I took a dip in the ocean.” Sanji mused.

“What the hell, Cook? You’re usually the one to avoid trouble!” Zoro chuckled.

“Ugh, I know. It seemed like everyone wanted something from me today, Nami-swan with her shopping, Usopp and his damn experiments, falling in that fucking hole-“

“You fell in a hole?” Zoro was outright laughing now.

“Oi, shut it. Your useless noodle captain practically threw me in it!” Realization- and guilt?- flashed across the swordsman’s expression. Suddenly, Sanji got the sinking suspicion that it wasn’t a coincidence everyone needed his company on this particular day. “You asked them to distract me, didn’t you?”

“In my defence, I had to make sure you didn’t come back to the ship before sunset.” Zoro was sincere for about 0.4 seconds before exploding into laughter once more. “Still, I bet they put you through _hell._ ”

Sanji couldn’t help but laugh too. When it came down to it, the pair of them weren’t the only stupidly excessive ones on the crew. Everyone else was just as crazy as them, but the sentiment behind their actions that day warmed Sanji’s heart. He was glad for their support-even if their methods were insane.

After the two of them calmed down, Sanji became eager to continue the evening. He told Zoro he would shower as he finished making dinner.

Sanji let the hot water and soap wash the sweat and dirt from his body. Now that his emotions had settled, the full impact of Zoro’s actions hit him like a punch in the gut. The swordsman had left his comfort zone to create an evening for just the two of them. The blonde never expected it. It wasn’t that he doubted Zoro’s ability to be romantic, but he always thought _he_ would be the one to make the first move.

But Zoro had done it himself. Affection swelled in his chest at the thought of his efforts. Suddenly, Sanji couldn’t wait to be with him again. He wanted to discover everything his lover had planned for him.

He turned off the shower and hopped out, nearly bashing his brains out on the slick tiles. He dried off, fixed his hair and got dressed all in record time. He kept his outfit simple; black slacks and a pale blue button down shirt. He decided to forgo the tie, a home cooked meal being more casual after all. Plus, it was one less thing to take off later.

As he approached the galley for the second time, he found his feet had slowed. Some unwelcome feeling was twisting in his gut. He was shocked to find that it was nerves. Sanji mentally berated himself for acting like an inexperienced teenager. To start, he had done way more intimate things with Zoro than having dinner alone with him. Before Zoro, he had gone on many dates with both women and men. Romance was not something he of all people should be nervous about.

It didn’t cross the cook’s mind that it was _because_ it was Zoro that he had butterflies playing tag in his stomach.

Taking a calming breath, Sanji opened the galley door. He couldn’t have been gone for more than a half hour and yet the room had been completely transformed. The table had been set for two; Sanji’s finer cutlery-kept well away from their captain- had been laid out atop a soft Royal Blue tablecloth. An unopened bottle of Verdicchio wine sat in an ice bucket and next to it was a centerpiece of freshly picked island flowers. Sanji noted that the delicate white and purple flowers were growing out of some sort of moss. The rest of the room had been cleaned of any cooking residue and on every available surface were several lit candles.

Zoro stood in the middle of the room observing Sanji in that intense, silent way. He had dressed up, well, as much as you could expect him to. He wore black jeans and a forest green pullover that made his arms look like sin. Sanji couldn’t fathom why he didn’t wear it more often.

“Maybe I should have worn that tie after all.” Sanji said a little breathlessly.

“Is it too much?” It was subtle, the slight tensing of the sworsdman’s shoulders, but it revealed the man’s uncertainty. It was kind of cute. Sanji crossed the room, wrapped his arms around Zoro’s waist and placed a chaste kiss to his lips.

“It’s perfect, Marimo.” He assured. Zoro grinned and returned Sanji’s kiss with one of his own. “You look hot by the way, for a muscle-head.”

“I’m going to forget the second half of that sentence, so thanks.” He grabbed Sanji’s hand and pulled him towards the table. “C’mon Curly, let’s eat.”

It turned out Zoro had prepared a dish from Sanji’s own recipe book. There was baked chicken with a carrot and onion broth, baby spinach and fresh strawberry salad and one of Sanji’s favourites, herb and garlic bread. The recipes were all categorized under the ‘simple’ section of the cookbook, but he was still proud when he tasted his first bite. It was very good.

When he said as much to Zoro, the man blushed profusely and proceeded to stuff his face, mumbling about ‘easy directions’ around forkfuls of chicken. Sanji kicked him under the table for his lousy table manners. A small footsie war quickly ensued, which the blonde clearly won.

Despite the romantic nature of the evening, the two men were not used to so much sweetness, so name calling and skirmishes were a welcome addition to the meal. Sanji supposed it was a more comfortable way to express their feelings to each other. He couldn’t say he minded in the least.

Sanji, predictably, did most of the talking. He recounted the day’s events to Zoro and watched how the sheer ridiculousness of it all made him gasp for breath from laughter. At some point in time faint music of a violin drifted into the galley. The couple had the suspicion that a certain skeleton had something to do with it. The soft melody was appreciated though, and the rest of the meal was a medley of shouts, song and the subtle slurp of drinking wine off swollen lips.

 When the food was eaten and the wine poured dry, the two of them made quick work cleaning up. Brook had stopped playing once the sun had completely set and Sanji guessed he had left to join the others, wherever they were.

Sanji lit up a smoke and leaned against the counter, eyes half closed in contentment.

“Oi Cook, don’t fall asleep on me yet.” Zoro’s voice whispered in his ear.

“Not sleeping.” He promised. “Just…feeling I guess.” The swordsman huffed in amusement.

“There is one more thing I want to show you. Follow me Love Cook.”

“That’s a scary thought.” He deserved the glare he got for that one, but he set himself up so perfectly the blonde couldn’t resist.

Zoro led him out of the galley and up to the crow’s nest. Sanji’s curiosity grew when the man bypassed the light switch and crossed the room.

“Close your eyes.”

“Seriously Marimo? I can barely see any-“

“Do it shit Cook, or I won’t show you.” He said stubbornly.

“ _Fine_.” Sanji hissed, but obediently closed his eyes.

He heard the click of a button and the soft whirring of something mechanical. Then the whole room shook and there was the loud sound of metal grinding against itself. A sudden draft ruffled Sanji’s hair and clothes. He _really_ wanted to know what was going on. The disturbances stopped suddenly and the sound that filled his ears was that of the ocean tide, a sound as familiar to him as his own heartbeat. He felt Zoro move to stand behind him, his arms resting lightly around the blonde’s waist, chin settling on his shoulder.

“Open.” He breathed. Sanji did, and Sanji _saw._

By some great technological feat, the entire roof of the crow’s nest had been opened to create a skylight. He could see the night sky, powdered with twinkling stars. The 360 windows that lined the room remained where they were, but they did not inhibit the view in the least. In fact, where the skylight showcased the sky, the windows brought attention to the ocean. Its waters looked nearly black and the surface reflected the stars in imperfect fragments. If he looked further, he could just make out the lights of the port town on the island.

A mild summer wind caressed his face and Sanji understood why Zoro brought him here. The crow’s nest was high and served to offer a spectacular view. But there was much more to what he was trying to tell Sanji. From where they were standing it felt as if they were suspended between two worlds, that of the heavens and of the deep. Though both had their merits, the cook and the swordsman didn’t fit into either.

From the very moment they met, their relationship had been an anomaly. More often than not, the two of them didn’t know what the hell they were doing. But the fights, sacrifices, nakamanship and love that bond them are tangible. Their relationship is different; it is isolated and fits under no domain, but it is real. The heavens can see all below and the sea everything above. Sanji though, was content to stay right here. Here in this place on the border, wrapped in his lover’s embrace, was where he belonged.

And the view, both above and below, was a hell of a lot more intense with Zoro by his side.

“It’s beautiful.” He said simply. He didn’t need to say more, not right now. Zoro understood him just the same.

“It gets better.” Sanji was about to argue that until he was blue in the face, because _nothing_ could make this moment better.

Then the first firework was shot into the sky and lit up their world in red. He bit down the words on his tongue. Ok maybe he was wrong.

One after another huge bouquets of sparks coloured the black sky, the show made twice as magnificent by the reflection in the water. Sanji could never be happier. When Zoro kissed him over his shoulder, Sanji met his lips with a hunger so fierce it frightened him. Of course, the moron kissing him back with equal force had no objections.

They fell to the floor in a fervent tangle of limbs. Love, pure and honest melded with a passion hot as fire. A dangerous combination indeed.

They were halfway naked when Zoro halted Sanji’s movements. The blonde sat in his lap and tried to comprehend why they were no longer kissing.

“Sanji.”

_That_ cleared the fog from his head. Zoro never calls him by his name, ever. The reaction his body had to that one word made him moan with need. His heart couldn’t take it much longer. He looked Zoro straight in the eye, he knew what would come next, and he wanted to see every emotion that came with the words.

Blue eyes stared into brown as three simple and infinitely complex words left Zoro’s lips.

“I love you.”

There were no more words after that, only the desperate release of an evening’s worth of pent up emotional tension. Sanji moved in rhythm with Zoro; Zoro who was everywhere, whose presence he craved like the best kind of drug. He touched and kissed and breathed every part of the man he could reach. When release finally came, it was so powerful it was almost painful. Sanji cursed in overwhelming pleasure and Zoro swallowed his words, absorbing everything Sanji gave him down to the very vibrations in his voice.

Afterward, they lay face to face, feet interlocked and breaths mingling between them. The fireworks were pretty, reflected in the stars and waves, and still they illuminated the night, bathing the two of them in a warm yellow and green glow. However, Sanji ignored them, much preferring to watch Zoro as he dozed beside him.

He intertwined his fingers with Zoro’s causing the man to flick his eyes towards him. The swordsman lifted the blonde’s hand towards his mouth and kissed his fingers softly, keeping eye contact the entire time. There was another pop and everything was tinted blue.

Sanji decided that the fireworks were most beautiful when reflected in Zoro’s eyes.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day everyone!


End file.
